Carte Blanche
by Burning Touch
Summary: A 24 year old girl shows up on the front steps of the Xavier Institute seeking refuge. The only thing that she reveals about herself is a codename and a desire to meet with the Professor. Needless to say the mansion’s occupants are intrigued. Romy centric
1. Prologue

**Title: **Carte Blanche  
**Prologue : Let it Roll**  
**Fandom: **X-Men  
**Author: Tanthoronial**  
**Summary:** A 24 year old girl shows up on the front steps of the Xavier Institute seeking refuge. The only thing that she reveals about herself is a codename and a desire to meet with the Professor. Needless to say the mansion's occupants are intrigued. But what will happen when the past she ran away from threatens to catch up with her? What will happen to the threads of life she had created? ROMY as central pairing.  
**Rating: **Teen/Mature  
**Pairing:** Rogue/Remy  
**Secondary Pairings:** None  
**Warnings: **Language, Violence.**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own and Marvel character in any way, shape or form. Apparently they cannot be bribed with marshmallow peeps, so I have to come up with another plan of attack—er persuasion.

**Prologue**

_Were neither clear nor descript  
We kept it safe and slow  
The quiet things that no one ever knows_

- _The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows_ by Brand New

- - - - - - - -

A low whining sound emitted from a blind alley, building momentum until made an extremely high pitched sound. A dog howled in the distance to be joined by the baying of another, until suddenly a loud crash and then silence. The dogs silenced as they no longer heard infernal noise that hurt their ears.

"Ah told yah ta fix that damn machine," A woman growled as she threw a man into the device.

The young woman sauntered out of the alley, her boots clicking on the pavement, not looking back at the mess she'd made. Her auburn hair fell in waves around her head with two white streaks framing her angelic-like face. Her green eyes were cold and calculating as she rubbed her ears to ease the pain from that stupid machine. A black trench hung on her frame as she moved from the alley to the car that was waiting for her. She opened the rear door and slid unto the leather interior of the black Mercedes.

"Did you get the item?" A voice said from the seat next to her as the car began to move.

"Course Ah got the item, Ah_ always_ get it," She snapped, handing over something from inside her coat. She was thoroughly annoyed, annoyed with this life and with the machine that hurt her at the time enhanced hearing.

"Very good, you can relax for the time being. You will be contacted shortly," Was the crisp reply.

The car stopped and the auburn haired woman stepped out of the car shutting the door so it could take off again. She walked across the street to the dingy building where she slept and was supposed to live. She leapt over the small gate easily instead of opening the creaking metal. Striding down the gravel she went to the stairs and stopped at the third floor looking at the door to number 33. She placed her key in the pathetic lock and stepped inside. _Home sweet home,_ she thought bitterly.

The small condo was sparingly furnished with a table and a few chairs around. Nothing comfortable or fashionable just things that were serviceable. She hardly spent any time here anyway, but she didn't want to live at the base for another minute of her life. She hated it there, the gleaming white washed walls were not only an eyesore but left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth all the years she'd spent cooped up between them. At least now she had some relative freedom, she been authorized to have her own place for good behavior.

She sat at the table and took out some of the junk she'd lifted from the tourists off the streets. A business card, apartment listings, a tube of lipstick, condoms, some cash and pictures. She moved everything into two piles, cash and crap. Bringing over the garbage can she swept the crap from the table. A picture landed face up, starring straight at her. It was of a young couple. She lifted out the picture gingerly, and sat back down resting her elbows on the table. The couple was grinning like fools affection showing through their every pore as the girl leaned easily into the man behind her with her hands resting over his, as his arms encircled her waist. Their postures were so at ease and effortless yet unreachable for the likes of her. She hung her head biting her lip and crumpled up the picture in her fist letting it fall into the trash as she walked to her bedroom.

She removed her outer clothing and slid on some training clothes, then sunk into the mattress. She stayed like that starring at the ceiling thinking of what had happened that day, in past days. It was all a blur, a mind numbing pointless blur. _What was the point of life without emotions and human contact?_, she relented. _There is no point._ And she knew it was the truth.

- - - - - - - -

She walked out into the park the next morning and sat casually on a bench facing across from a playground. She pulled out a magazine from her handbag and took out a pair of what seemed to be reading glasses. She turned the pages of magazine pretending to read it, although she'd read this one several times through having it memorized. She looked up at the park watching children running around laughing and grinning for the most part. Some would cry when something happened or throw a tantrum, only to have their parent rush over to them. A pang rang in her heart. She'd never known those things. She supposed she had at one point, but she'd never known the love the parents showed or the concern. They'd been to cold and businesslike for that.

A soft ding came from her right ear and she looked back down at her magazine. She moved her fingers against each other in what looked like a nervous habit. But she was really using the newest advancement in micro technology. A computer modem linked through a cell phone, able to piggy-back off of anyone's signal making it untraceable. And if that wasn't good enough the monitor was in a pair of glasses so one could still see the world around them and to sent a message one only had to move their fingers to form the letters. It was something she had strived had to obtain and was glad she had it now. They couldn't trace her activities this way.

_Long time Graydon. Thought you forgot about me. _She transmitted.

A momentary pause and then another ding and words appeared before her eyes. _I could never forget about you Anna. And to what do I owe the pleasure? _

_Such a flatterer you are Mr. Creed. You said I could call on you at anytime and I wanted to test that out. _She gently reminded him of his previous statement.

_Well you know me I remember everything; there's no need to tell me things twice. What did you have in mind? _Arrived with the sound of the ding.

_I was hoping to call on one of those _favors_ you owe me. I'll give you the details to it later. And Graydon, don't tell anyone about it. You know how I hate gossip. _

_Don't worry, my lips are sealed Anna. _

_I was hoping you would say that. _She responded before going to send him the information he would need. Their conversation had been seemingly light but had a double meaning they both knew. It was a precaution that had to be taken, no matter how secure you thought the line was. She sat on the park bench for another hour before she put both her glasses and her magazine back in her bag and walked downtown with a genuine smile on her face.

- - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes:**

(1) The device I have Anna using is an idea from Dan Brown's _Digital Fortress. _It is used there, so it is not my original idea. But it could very well be a real thing, can't be too sure.

(2) To the use of Graydon Creed, well let's say in this fic, he's taken after his parents--and he might be a mutant. I haven't decided yet. But he's in no way associated with Friends of Humanity.

(3) Its an AU. I'm still keeping the basic things and tweaking a bunch of other things around to fit the plot line for the story.


	2. Meetings & Greetings

**Chapter I : Meetings & Greetings**

_Well this girl came up to me - she says she's new in town_

_But the crew been said they seen her around_

_I thought they were right but I didn't wanna know_

**-**_She's Crafty _by Beastie Boys

**- - - - - - - - **

It had been three months since she had talked to Graydon, and he had been good to his word. She had gotten what she needed. _And ta think, that was tha easy part_, she thought wryly. She checked her gloves another time, pulling them tighter to her wrists as she walked down the crowded street in Chicago. She had been in the city for barely a day and she was already leaving. It was a fairly nice city though, windy despite the heat. She hailed a cab and instructed the cabbie to take her to O'Hare.

Anna walked into the airport after paying her driver and went to get her ticket at the counter. Tugging on a solid auburn lock she looked like all the other impatient flyers. She slipped easily through security and waited at her gate sitting with her back to the people passing by, surveying the scene below the window through her sunglasses. She looked down at her watch. _Only a five more minutes._ She silently waited in the line to board the plane while handing her ticket to the blonde flight attendant. She looked at to find her name was Jenny. _She'll do,_ she thought. She walked down the aisle and made her way towards the bathroom. She looked in the mirror as she recalled one of her psychic templates. Slowly her ginger hair turned straw colored. Her emerald eyes became sapphire, her face shrank giving her a smaller nose and thinner lips. Satisfied with her outward appearance she concentrated on a flight attendants dark blue ensemble including the little hat perched atop her head. She pulled on some white kid gloves and let out a brief sigh. The outfit showed more skin than she would like, but she would have to deal with it.

She exited the bathroom and started the long journey of walking down the aisle to leave the plane. She walked off the plane and straight past Jenny, who was oblivious to the woman that looked like her twin. Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she walked away from the gate towards her destination. Arriving there she was pleased to see the plane had just started boarding. She walked past the flight attendant taking tickets and smiled a greeting while walking on to the plane. She walked down the middle of the plane and headed to the bathroom. She concentrated again on the template and her body slowly shifted. She became shorted slightly, her eyes turned their natural green, and her hair turned its natural auburn with two streaks of white framing her face. She smiled slightly at seeing her hair, it always went back to its natural state no matter how hard she tried to dye it one solid color.

Walking from the bathroom she adjusted her now leather gloves, feeling more comfortable in her own clothes that covered all of her skin. She stopped towards the middle of the plane and chose a window seat, deciding a view would be nice for once. Her mind started to wander as she looked out the window. She had done everything like she planned, she should be untraceable. They shouldn't, _couldn't_ find her again. She didn't care what happened to her as long as she didn't go back. At least she knew Graydon wouldn't betray her, they had too much in common for him to ever do that.

"Is this seat, like, saved?" A brunette girl asked with an obvious Chicago accent.

"Nah it's free," She responded being jerked out of her musings.

The girl sat down letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. People are such hogs on planes," She muttered. "Oh, I'm Kitty by the way. Kitty Pryde," She extended her hand in greeting.

"Nice ta meet ya. Ah'm Anna Raven," Anna answered offering her own hand. She had already found out one thing about this girl, she was perky.

"So do you, like, live in Chicago or this just a connecter flight for you?" Kitty asked.

"Connecter flight. How could ya tell?" Anna said conversationally.

"You totally have a Southern accent."

Anna laughed. "Ya got a Windy City drawl yaself," Kitty laughed in turn.

"So, like, if you don't mind my asking what are you doing going to New York? I mean its kind far from anywhere near the south," The valley girl's curiosity was endless.

"Ah needed a change of pace. A fresh start kind of thang," The Southerner explained. "What 'bout ya?"

"I go to school in New York. But I was visiting my family for a little bit. They aren't, like, quite happy with me being there and all. They think it's too dangerous for me in New York, which is stupid, 'cause Chicago isn't exactly clean. I think they secretly just don't like New York, keep calling them Yankees and everything. But then I pointed out that me going to school has nothing to do with baseball, they just went back to the fact that they don't think its safe. And I mean they're pulling the whole protective parent thing on me, and—" Kitty said taking a breath and then flushed sheepishly, "Sorry. I, like, go off on bunny trails some times."

Anna couldn't help but chuckle. "It's ok sugah, we all do once in awhile."

Kitty grinned. "I'm so glad I got to sit by someone nice for a change. I always tend to get seated next to the people who fall asleep on top of you or, like, are silent as a bone."

"Well there's no promises from meh that Ah'm not gunna fall asleep on ya."

Kitty laughed and looked back at Anna. "You do seem, like, dead tired. Not getting much sleep?"

"Ah've been doin' a far amount of travelin'. Ah suppose Ah haven't rested a bunch," Anna admitted sheepishly.

"Make sure you take care of yourself in New York. Cause something could totally happen to you when you're too tired to notice stuff around you," Kitty cautioned in a motherly tone.

"Is the Kitty-cat worried over me?" Anna teased.

"NO! Well, yeah. But its just, like, you seem really nice and it'd be a shame for something to happen to you, your first time in the city."

"Ah'll have to keep that in mind," Anna replied. She conveniently left out saying she'd been to New York a few times previously. Not for pleasure, but business. It was always business.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Kitty literally looked like she was gong to burst. Anna couldn't help but let an amused smile from her face. She thought about asking what it was but decided to wait out the Chicago native, figuring she couldn't hold back much longer. She was right of course.

"Ok, I can't, like, take it anymore! I have to ask. Is your hair natural? Or did you like dye it that way? Because that has to be the best dying job I have ever seen if it is!" Kitty blurted out.

Anna couldn't help herself and threw back her head and laughed. Kitty had a confused and slightly hurt look on her face. Anna took a few calming breaths before looking straight at Kitty. "It's not that. It's just yah face—yah looked like yah were fighting with yaself on whether ta ask tha question or not. Ah assumed it woulda been something more important than 'bout mah hair."

Kitty caught on and looked embarrassed before letting out a giggle. "Sorry, I just wanted to ask. And then I wasn't sure if it would, like, offend you or not. I figured you might get asked about it a lot."

"In regards to mah hair, it _is_ natural as it keeps reminding meh every time Ah try ta dye it."

Both women laughed at the statement. Their conversations varied from there, with Anna having to lie a few times at some of the more personal questions Kitty asked. They spent most of the hours on the flight talking and when they walked off of the plane they had one another's number's safely programmed in their respective phones.


End file.
